The drums are Rock Band's most demanding instruments. If you plan to use them through Expert and beyond, playing them requires strength, stamina, and great coordination. Before you start banging away, treat your arms and legs to a good stretch. Afterward, settle into a sturdy chair (see: "Positioning Yourself") and fire up RB2's drum tutorials. They'll demonstrate the basics, and this "How-To" section will elaborate upon their instructions to teach you the rest.

Positioning Yourself

Holding the Sticks

As a quick note on the drum sticks, the handling style shown in the tutorial isn't the only option. You can also hold them like pencils, and tap the side of the stick head against the pad. For some players, this is preferable on drum rolls and makes passing songs easier overall. It's not a method many hard rock musicians use, but if it puts you at your most nimble, there's no reason to say no. It could also be helpful to learn both styles, as switching off between them slightly changes how you're using the muscles in your arm. On demanding Hard and Expert runs, that'll do wonders for dealing with fatigue without hurting yourself.

Most gaming areas aren't set up for drumming. Cushy armchairs and sofas don't provide the leg and back support you'll need for safe, long-term playing. Before all else, we highly recommend procuring a solid chair that you won't sink into, like a wooden one from a dining set, or the plastic porch variety. The best option of all is a drum throne (which is like a miniature bar stool), but a nice firm chair will do well enough. Ideally, its height will enable you to use the kick pedal without making any awkward movements.

When you ran through RB2's tutorials, you likely noticed that their black-and-white drummer was sitting fairly straight. Proper stature like that is essential; you don't want to hunch forward or lean too far back. With the kit about a foot away from you, you should be seated upright in your chair, and your leg should be at a near 90 degree angle in relation to the kick pedal.

If being a foot away from the kit isn't working for you, use the 90 degree-ish angle of your knee as a guideline. Move it toward or away from you till you find a comfortable distance. Discovering the proper height for the drum pads is simple, too. First, you'll want to take one drum stick in each hand (per the tutorial's example), and sit upright. Then, try to hit the center area of the pads. If you can do this easily—even lazily—without hitting the plastic or stretching your arms, the height is good. If not, adjust it accordingly.

Striking With Finesse

In the "Positioning Yourself" section, we covered how to strike the drum pads without hitting the plastic. The primary reasons for this are: hitting the center of the pads provides proper rebound, doesn't shock your hands nor arms, and isn't as noisy. It's just as important to only use as much force as necessary, as enthusiastically overdoing it can decrease the longevity of your instrument. Going for the center and moderating your power output will help conserve your energy, lengthen the lifespan of your drums, and make it easier for band mates and bystanders alike to rock out to the music.

Working the Pedal

Earning and Using Overdrive

Ready and willing to rock the drum charts, you're passing through some songs and are noticing white, glowing notes. Hitting a full sequence of them will provide you with Overdrive Energy, subsequently filling its meter. If you've read about it in the guitar section, you know what this can be used for, but its execution is different for a drummer. Good thing too, as lifting that whole kit would be hardcore, but awkward, and we want to be as smooth as possible.

Anyway, once your Overdrive meter is at least halfway full, you'll see drum fills appearing on screen. You might remember these from the tutorial. To utilize them, bang on the drums in any way you'd like, and don't miss the green note at the very end. This will double the amount of points you're earning, and will send your crowd approval skyrocketing. Don't feel obligated to use this at first glance, though.

As with any instrument, you can preserve Overdrive by ignoring the fills and only playing the regular notes, thus saving your Energy for a difficult area you can't pass normally. Leaving the fills alone doesn't penalize you either, so they can be used as opportunities for brief breathers, and that can do wonders for your stamina during a nasty track.

Since you've played through the drum tutorials, you've a general idea of how to press that pedal. Like the matter of holding drum sticks, however, the way RB2 suggests using the kick pedal isn't your only option. As a matter of fact, there are many drummers (including their virtual counterparts in games) who do move their entire leg to hit the bass, directly contradicting what the tutorial advises. This doesn't strictly boil down to a matter of what's more comfortable for you, either, although that is a factor; some drummers find that moving more of their leg provides superior accuracy, and enables them to do more than just using their foot would.

For example, you'll encounter double bass notes in RB2 which can be very difficult, if not nearly impossible, to hit by moving your foot exclusively. (This really only applies to Hard and Expert mode, so if you're not at those levels yet, don't fret.) On these, it's advisable to use your leg and foot together, or to employ a "slide method." To elaborate a little further, let's envision a double bass note coming your way. You've tried to get the timing down for hitting it by tapping your foot twice, and that's not working. Instead, try lifting your foot before the notes come in. Press down with the rear half of your foot for the first, and tap your toes to hit the second. This may enable you to hit a double note without much trouble.

Another method is the aforementioned slide, which numerous pro drummers utilize. To do this, we'll imagine a set of double notes is coming your way yet again. First lift your leg slightly, and when the first bass note arrives, tap your toes against the center of the pedal. Then immediately slide your foot forward and flatten the pedal for the second note. This should see you through any double notes, though they're not the only way to pass them (see: "Double Bass Pedals").

To get any of the aforementioned methods to work, you might have to try different kinds of shoes (like flat-bottomed skater sneakers), or only wearing socks. Don't go barefoot, you'll regret it.